


Definition of a Lover

by mochiiwriting



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alpha Sawamura Daichi, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Angst, Avoidance, Confusion, Eventual Smut, Fluff, Jealousy, Late Night Conversations, Late presentation, M/M, Mutual Pining, Omega Sugawara Koushi, Omega Verse, Slow Burn, Training Camp, lots of scenting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-08
Updated: 2018-06-09
Packaged: 2019-05-04 04:46:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14585262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mochiiwriting/pseuds/mochiiwriting
Summary: Sugawara Koushi was entirely sure he was a beta. That was, until he presents as an omega in the summer of his third year and is reluctant to accept the truth.The problem isn’t the heats, or the harassment, or the stupid alphas that are always around him.The problem is that he can no longer look his best friend in the eye.





	1. Late Bloomer

Sugawara Koushi was a naturally maternal person. 

He didn't need his parents to tell him that; he knew it already. He was fully aware that his soft-spoken, benevolent way of expressing himself was not suited to the fact that he was a beta. His headstrong, cheeky attitude was also not suited to a beta. He was nurturing and submissive, yet protective with a small but bright streak of jealousy. 

Sugawara Koushi was an unsettled Beta. 

He sighed, tapping his pencil on his desk in boredom, staring out of his window at the overcast sky while leaning his weight into his hand on his cheek. He pondered if any of the others were irritated by the mediocre weather, wondered if Daichi had perhaps finished the extra Japanese Literature homework Takeda had _so kindly_ supplied for _'study'_. 

Suga groaned loudly, aiming and throwing his pen into the pen cup with unnatural accuracy. He shook his head and stretched his arms out above him, conjoining his fingers and pushing his palms out. Summer exams were directly around the corner, and Suga was sure he was prepared. With a sigh, he unlocked his phone and watched his finger hover over the third year group chat. 

He wondered if it was a good idea to try meet up with Daichi and Asahi. Asahi, flighty as always, was fretting over exams and wouldn't leave his books if his life depended on it at this point. His thoughts brushed Asahi away, turning to Daichi instead. Suga clicked his tongue. 

  Daichi was just finishing up his rut. 

Daichi and Asahi weren't the only alphas in the team. Kageyama was an alpha, as was Tanaka. Tsukishima has also showed signs of presenting as such. It was a normal thing, the rest of the team betas bar Hinata and Noya, who were the two little omegas. Kageyama was smitten with Hinata, Asahi the same with Noya but refusing to admit it to himself. 

Suga didn't really pay much attention to the three or four days per month every alpha or omega would be missing. It was a normal thing; the team met at practice, if someone was out, the presumption of rut or heat was generally accepted. It was just weird to Suga to think that Daichi was... violently masturbating in his bedroom. And had been for the last couple of days. 

He was thankful he didn't have to worry about that. The thought of a heat or a rut just sounded generally unpleasant. His mouth contorts into a half-scowl as his mind turned to Daichi again, trying to wave the thought out of his head. 

' _I wonder what alphas do during a rut,_ ' Suga's mind supplied, making his eyes widen a little and a blush creep onto his face. He shouldn't be thinking about this, especially while Daichi is in rut barely two floors below him. Being a beta with a lacklustre sense of smell, he normally couldn't smell Daichi's scent, or anyone's for that matter. But every time he passed that apartment while Daichi was in heat it almost made him pass out. The scent would hit him in waves, dark and alluring and hot, but Suga would just put his head down and endure. Get out there as quick as he could. 

But it was the end of Daichi's rut. In fact, it should be the last day altogether. And training camps started next week in Tokyo, which was by far the most exciting thing. The simple-minded Kageyama and Hinata were almost leaping in excitement when Daichi explained it to the team. Suga was looking forward to it, but just hoped he wouldn't fall ill. He had felt a little under the weather recently, even getting sent home from school one day because he was so red. 

He clicked on LINE, clicking into Daichi's private chat and sending a simple text message. 

_> >Suga_

 _u around today_

Placing his phone back down, Suga yawned. His phone dinged, seeing a short answer in return. 

_> >Daichi_

_not today but I'll see you at training tomorrow yeah?_

_ >>Suga_

_sure. see u then_

Suga growled a little through a sigh, frustrated from the boredom. His mother knocked on the door, holding a cup of tea with a small smile. 

"Kou, you look awfully red... are you okay?" His mother asked, voice laced with concern as she placed the tea down on his desk. 

"Yeah, mom, I'm fine," Suga replied in earnest, flashing a toothy smile. 

It didn't do much to hide the sweat forming on his face. 

~

Kageyama's yelling at Hinata was acting like a drill in Suga's head, making his pounding headache amplify. 

  " _GOD_ , I knew you were dumb but I didn't realise you were _this_ bad!" Kageyama shouted, grabbing a protesting Hinata in a headlock and rubbing his fist violently on his head of ginger hair. Suga sighed, small frown on his face, shoulders tense and eyebrows furrowed.

Daichi raised his eyebrows. "You okay, Suga?" He asked, throwing his own bag on the ground. They were waiting for the bus to training camp in Tokyo, which was easily a couple hour drive from there. It was early morning, the sun still low on the horizon and Miyagi only beginning to wake. 

"Y-yeah, Daichi. I'm fine," he sniffed, attempting a smile. "I've just had a cold I haven't been able to shake for a while now. Just feel a little worse today, is all. Nothing a bit of practice won't fix, though!" 

  Daichi paused, frowning. "Suga, if you're ill, shouldn't you be at home resting-?" 

  "Of course not!" Suga interrupted, shaking his head. "I'm not sick. Just a bit under the weather! Besides, I wouldn't miss this training camp for anything!" 

  Daichi smiled, "I'm glad." He then turned around, leaving Suga to Asahi and turning towards the two arguing first years. A streak of... _something_ had flashed through him. He couldn't place it. Daichi had felt something off about Suga for a little while now, but now he was straight up worried. 

  "You two, if you're going to argue, _keep it down_ ," Daichi growled at Kageyama and Hinata, who instantly pulled away from each other to listen to their captain. "Suga has a headache. He doesn't need you two yelling in his ear too." 

  Both boy's head cocked to the side in confusion, Hinata's eyes widening. "Suga has a headache!? Is he okay?" 

  "Of course not, dumbass! How would you feel if you had a headache?!" Kageyama whispered frantically. The boy's struck up another argument through aggressive whispering, making Daichi shake his head and sigh. At least they weren't shouting this time. 

  The bus finally pulled up to the school, the while team piling in. Noya and Tanaka sprinted directly to the back of the bus, Kageyama and Hinata now whisper-arguing about who got the window seat. Kageyama eventually caved, letting Hinata sit at the window reluctantly. He couldn't resist the boy sometimes. 

  "Suga, do you want to sit near the front?" Daichi offered, glancing at Asahi sitting into a free two-seater and leaning back against the window, headphones in. Suga scratched the back of his neck, nodding slightly with a low exhale. Daichi's worry was now through the roof, taking on the role of a responsible captain and flipping on the alpha switch. 

  "Suga, you're too sick to go on this trip," Daichi stated, spiking Takeda's worry and making him turn towards the two of them. He listened in, looking at Suga sitting on the two-seater with Daichi hovering above him, but not intruding yet.

  "Daichi, how many times have I got to tell you, I'm not-" 

  "You are as red as Hinata's goddamn hair. You look like I could fry an egg on your head. You have a fever. And it's not just a cold. So, I'm giving you two choices," Daichi growled out, leaning down to speak to his vice-captain. "You either let me call your mom and you go home, or you admit your sick and sit out of the first couple days on health grounds." 

  Suga was avoiding eye contact with Daichi, leaning back uncomfortably. It made him step back, confused as to why Suga was acting like that. Takeda took this moment to jump in, beginning to understand the situation. 

  "Why don't we see how Suga feels when we arrive?" He offers, holding a finger up in inspiration with a reassuring smile. "Just keep an eye on him until then, Daichi!" 

  Suga kept his eyes glued to the floor, silent. He was in a war with his own mind, not understanding what was going on. It’s not that he was willingly looking away from Daichi; hell, he normally would’ve fought back with his own snappy attitude. It was more that he physically _couldn’t_. Something was driving his focus into the ground, anything to avoid looking the alpha in the eye. It was like a weight was around his neck, angling it down. He also couldn’t speak, his mouth drying and throat choking up, stripping him the ability to retort. It’s not like Daichi was being mean, quite the opposite; he was doing it because he cared.

But Suga didn’t understand. 

The bus had gone quiet, awaiting a response from either Daichi or Suga. Most seemed to be looking on in curiosity now, a sharp contrast to how rowdy the crowd was normally. 

“Suga-san? Would you like some penicillin?” Yachi quietly offered, holding a bottle of water and a tablet in her hand. The little omega was always looking out for others, and she radiates kindness. Suga nodded, suddenly regaining his ability to speak. 

“Yes please, Hitoka-chan,” Suga smiles softly, reaching out to take the penicillin and gulping it down with ease. Daichi was conflicted, not understanding why Suga hadn’t replied, why he had froze up. 

“ _I’ll explain later_ ” Takeda had whispered to him, low enough Suga wouldn’t hear, making Daichi nod and sit down next to the silver haired-boy, his eyes focused out the window. 

~

When they arrived, Suga looked considerably better. His fever seemed to be subsiding, and he was chatting away, even giving Daichi a jab in the stomach for ‘ _putting him on the spot when he was delirious_ ’. Daichi had laughed, glad to see Suga back to normal as they walked into the training camp. During their first match against Shinzen high, Daichi was adamant about Suga remaining off the court.

“You’re not well enough to play!” Daichi argued, eyebrows furrowed, overcome with worry of his vice. “I don’t want you collapsing in the middle of the court because that’d make _me_ sick.” 

“Fine, Fine! But you can’t keep me from every game, you know!” Suga caved, grinning. He stuck a smile on his face until Daichi turned his back. Suga instantly let all the air in his lungs out, pushing back sweat-slicked hair and feeling his temperature rise rapidly, a lot faster than that morning. 

“Do you need to go to the bathroom, Suga?” Takeda asked, carefully hovering around Suga almost in the fear that he was ceramic that would crumble if he touched him. The setter nodded slightly, and Yamaguchi was asked to go to the bathroom with him as the teams prepared to start. 

Suga splashed some water on his face, leaning over the sink with a bruising grip on the tap. His hair hung over his eyes as he panted, seeing black spots hovering over his vision. 

“Suga-san... I hope I’m not overstepping my boundaries here, but...” Yamaguchi gulped, voice dropping to a nervous whisper. “ _You are a beta, right?”_

Suga’s breath caught in his throat, whipping his head up towards Yamaguchi, who looked like he regretted every life decision he had ever made. That was when Hinata burst through the door, singing loudly, and stopped mid-step as he stared upon Suga’s meagre form. 

Before he knew it, he was on the ground, Yamaguchi over him and Hinata screaming ‘captain!’ at the top of his lungs. Suga couldn’t comprehend nor contextualise the situation, overcome with _why he was so goddamn hot_. He felt hands pushing his hair from his forehead, and small splashes of water against his forehead. He could hear a deafening ringing in his ears, completely unsure of what was going on until he began to writhe in pain. 

It felt like Suga was being stabbed over and over again in the gut, emptiness hurting him hard and making him hide his face in the crook of his elbow in embarrassment. He bit down harshly on the pale skin there, tasting iron in his mouth. He was overcome with disgust when he felt the first dribbles if slick push past his entrance, making him want to puke. 

But, all of a sudden, he could smell something. Through this onslaught of pain and disgust, something was soothing him. It smelled... reliable. If that was even possible. Like wet earth and grass, with a little bit of spearmint. Suga was just panting now, just feeling himself get lifted by large arms and being surrounded by the scent that was undeniably _alpha_.

And suddenly, Suga was out cold. 

~

“Where’s Hinata going singing like that?” Daichi chuckled to Kageyama, chugging down water quickly and shaking his head to straighten up his senses. Kageyama growled lowly, turning back towards the net.

“Bathroom I’d say. Dumbass is probably about to get sick again-“ 

“ _CAPTAIN!_ ” Hinata’s scream interrupted Kageyama, making Daichi drop everything and run to Hinata, somehow knowing exactly what had happened. Asahi ran after him, telling Hinata to wait in the gym, the other teammates confused and worried. 

“Suga, Suga, suga, _no_...!” Daichi muttered to himself as he burst through the bathroom door, and being met with Tadashi splashing Suga’s boiling figure with water in an attempt to cook him down. Daichi felt something switch within him, amplifying his scent to be relaxing and soothing. All that ran through his head was ‘ _Omega. Omega. Omega.’_

“What the...?” Asahi placed a hand over his mouth, hearing Daichi’s low hums. Asahi called a terrified Yamaguchi out of the room, holding open the heavy door as Daichi approached Suga. The boy was writhing in discomfort, high whines leaving his lips as he bit through the skin in the crook of his elbow. Daichi crooned at him, an intimate act that made Asahi jump slightly. He watched as the captain lifted Suga up in his arms, watching the smaller one relax and close his eyes fully in comfort. 

Daichi paused, looking directly at Asahi. “Get every alpha out of the gym until further notice. I’m bringing him to the infirmary. Tell Takeda to come to me as quick as he can,” he ordered, pupils dilated to the point where his brown eyes weren’t even visible. Submitting to the extremely protective alpha, Asahi showed his neck and left, sighing in fear that his best friend was capable of being so _terrifying_

Daichi opened up the doors of the bathrooms, jogging down the hall and following the signs to the infirmary. His mind was overly conflicted. The signs were all there; he was just too _oblivious_ to notice them. 

“I’ve got you, Suga,” Daichi crooned, glancing down at the silver head pressed into the crook of his shoulder. “I’ve got you.”


	2. Realisations

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the overwhelming response on the last chapter! A little more nsfw in this one... but I’ve got some nice scenes planned ahead! Thanks for reading and please leave your thoughts on the chapter below !

Suga winced uncomfortably as he began to come to, feeling cheap linen chafing against his legs. He could feel he was in shorts and a t-shirt, his hoodie and tracksuit bottoms taken from him. He peeled his eyes open and squinted, light making him hiss as the sun reflected off the metal frame of his bed. 

_What?!_

Suga’s eyes shot open as he bolted forward, mouth slightly agape as his head darted around the room. Headrush hit him quickly, sitting his vision and making him groan. Quick footsteps rang from the hallway, heels on tile. He could make out a small woman rushing over to him, but couldn’t recognise her. 

“Sugawara-san, take it easy, there... lie down now...” she whispered gently, pushing softly against Suga’s shoulders to make him lean back against the pillows that were propped up behind him. He felt his dizziness settle, looking up to be met with the eyes of Fukurōdani’s third year manager. Suga was perplexed by her sweet, dull scent. He had never smelt anything like it before. It smelled similar to how Hinata or Noya would smell before their heats, but a lot more toned-down.

“Shirofuku Yukie, but you can just call me Yukie. Kiyoko should be here soon with Takeda, the game’s nearly over,” she smiled softly, passing him the glass of water from beside his bed. “How are you feeling?” 

“I’m... fine. Why am I here, exactly? What did Daichi tell you? I’m not _that_ sick, I swear-!” Suga began to argue, but was interrupted. 

“Do you... not remember _anything_?” Yukie questioned quietly, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. Suga shook his head, hands fumbling. Yukie stepped back awkwardly, dodging eye contact with him. “I... I think it might be better for... Takeda-sensei to explain.” 

“Wait, what are you-?” Suga muttered, before Takeda and Kiyoko walked into the room. When Takeda saw Suga awake he rushed over, eyes blowing wide. 

“God, Suga, are you okay? You scared the life out of us... Your mother is on her way, we got you straight here and there was no worries-“ 

“Sensei!” Suga cut across Takeda, interrupting the rambling man out of pure confusion. “Can someone please explain to me what’s going on?” 

The two paused, Kiyoko moving to sit beside Suga’s feet on his bed. She held a different scent to Yukie. It was a lot duller, like fresh water. It didn’t hold the same sweet, sugar-like touch. Takeda had a similar scent, similar to lemons, but it was also muted. 

“Suga, you passed out on ya right before the Fukurōdani game began,” Kiyoko said, her words straightforward. She always left no room for questions, despite her shy demeanour. “Yamaguchi was with you, and Hinata came running out yelling when he saw you. Daichi carried you to the infirmary. You presented as an omega.” 

Suga’s breath caught in his throat, slapping a shaking hand over his mouth in shock. His pupils were barely dots and his eyes were wide. He began to shake his head in denial, refusing to believe what he was being told. 

“Now, I know it’s a lot to take in. It’s hard being a late presenter, but we explained the situation to the team and they’re completely positive.” Takeda sat down in the chair Yukie pulled up for him, thanking her softly. “Daichi and Asahi are bent with worry, and Kageyama was a little lost without you to encourage him in the practice match. We were able to clear the alphas from the gym until the coast was clear, so no harm came to you.” 

“I don’t... I don’t _understand_ ,” Suga whispered, biting down on his lip to hold back tears of frustration. His shoulders were tense, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m a _beta_!” 

“I’m really sorry Suga. I know it’s a lot to take in,” Kiyoko said, smiling ever so slightly. “If it makes you feel better, Yukie here have you some suppressants. She has medical experience, so she understood how to administer them. She’s been looking after you all day.” 

“All... all day?” Suga’s eyes darted between a blushing Yukie and Kiyoko. “How long have I been out?” 

“It’s nearly four o clock. You’ve been unconscious for roughly six hours, Sugawara-san,” Yukie supplied. 

“I... I don’t... _what?_ ” he whispered in uncertainty, resting his face in his hands and letting a few tears slip beyond his eyes. He understood it now. The smells were their _dynamics_. Yukie was an omega, Kiyoko and Takeda betas. The fever was his heat. He had been sick for the recent weeks because he was a late bloomer and everything was only just starting to unfold. 

_Of course you would be an omega. I mean, you’ve never been able to put on muscle. You’ve always been smaller. Weaker. Less._

Suga prayed for the stupid voice in his head to shut up already, so he could make sense of the situation. An omega... so that meant he would have to be bound to an _alpha._

_Daichi._

Suga’s eyes shot open. Why did _that_ name, of all the possible ones, pop into his head? He couldn’t even look Daichi in the eye a few hours ago. 

_How humiliating._

He didn’t understand why he thought of Daichi. Like he even had a chance with the captain anyway, not when he’s got his eyes trained on Yui. And why wouldn’t he? She’s a stable beta; athletic, leadership skills, caring and fiery all at the same time. Suga thought Yui was great, but Daichi very obviously thought she was _more_ than that. Besides, why would he even glance at Suga? Suga, his meagre and submissive vice, who attempts to gently guide his juniors and only ends up losing his spot as a regular. 

Why would he even _look_ at Suga? 

The tears wouldn’t stop now, and Suga couldn’t grasp why he felt so _weak_. He was just completely fatigued, feeling no urge to get up out of that bed, only wanting to sleep or eat or distract himself with _something_. 

“Your mom should be here soon, Suga,” Kiyoko muttered, making Suga look up from his hands damp with tears. “We’ll leave you to yourself.” 

Suga couldn’t reply. He kept his eyes trained to the floor. 

Why isn’t he saying anything?” 

Before he got the guts to speak up, Kiyoko and Takeda had left quietly, Yukie deciding to sit on the counter of the infirmary on her phone. 

Suga had never felt so conflicted. 

~

It was four days into the next term when Daichi came to the realisation that Suga was purposefully avoiding him. 

Every time he asked him if he wanted to walk home with him, he was met with slightly different excuses.

‘ _Sorry, I said I’d go do stuff for my mom,’_

_‘Sorry, I have to go pick up Urii and Diaz from the vets.’_

_‘Sorry, I’ve to go by food for the cats.’_

_‘Sorry, I’ve got extra classes.’_

Three days in a row Suga switched his seats in class, opting to sit as far away from the alpha as virtually possible. He would glance over to Daichi every now and then, but when he realised that the captain was staring back at him, he would train his eyes to the ground and not dare look back. 

In fact, Suga hadn’t looked Daichi in the eye _at all_ since he presented. 

Every night he would go online to see Suga and Asahi talking in their groupchat. It was the weirdest groupchat ever; it was named _’Asahi is depressed??’_ and had been plagued by Suga’s surrealist memes for months. But, every time he would go online, Suga would go off myseriously a couple minutes later. He would answer a maximum of one text from Daichi and then leave, and even then those texts would be one word answers. 

When Daichi did find himself talking to Suga, the rare times that it did happen, Suga replied bluntly. He wouldn’t look at the alpha in the face, let alone in the eye. It had even gotten to the stage where Suga’s entire focus was on something else while talking. 

Daichi showed up to practice on the Friday morning of their first week back, not seeing Suga in the club room when he arrived to drop off his bag. Asahi stood behind him, confused by the underlying irritation in Daichi’s scent. Asahi has a sense of smell like a _dog_ , and the others considered it somewhat unnatural. 

“I swear to god, if he’s fucking skipping practice-!” Daichi growled, digging through his bag for his phone and hitting the call on Suga’s phone. 

“What’s going on with you, Boss?” Tanaka snickered, moving past Daichi to leave his bag down. 

_Sorry, this caller is busy. Please leave-_

“Mother _fucker_!” Daichi snarled through gritted teeth, falling again only for the same message to be played, quicker this time. “God, Suga has another thing coming to him if he thinks he can just _avoid_ me like this!”

“Avoid?” Asahi asked, taking off his shirt to put on a t-shirt. “Suga’s been avoiding you?” 

“Yep, with all of his fucking will too. He’s been making up these excuses to not have to face me, and won’t even look me in the eye...!” Daichi trailed off, eyes widening as he froze in his stance. He brought a hand to his mouth. “Oh my god, Asahi, is Suga... _scared_ of me?” 

Asahi sighed. “Well, I know I sure am, but there’s no reason why Suga should be. He’s pretty fiery too, and he always snaps at you and stuff. But, you were pretty imposing on the bus when we went to training in camp. I know that if I was in Suga’s position, I would’ve been scared shitless.” 

Daichi remembered Suga’s avoiding eyes and tense shoulders, mouth contorted in an uncomfortable frown as he meant back in on himself. If he had a tail it would have been shoved in between his legs, because his stance wasn’t that of someone who was scared, it was someone who was _terrified_. He was _submitting_ to Daichi. 

“Oh my god. I’ve fucked up. I’ve... I’ve fucked up so bad...!” Daichi began to curse at himself, knocking into a highly confused Noya who had only just arrived. “I’ve gotta go find Suga...!” 

“Well there’s no point in chasing after him now,” Noya blocked the exit with his arm, pouting his lip. “He’s gone into heat. Surprised you weren’t able to tell when you left this morning, since you should’ve been able to smell it. It’s not healthy to take suppressants consistently, you know. When he’s at home you should be able to smell him.” 

“I’m a couple floors down, I didn’t even notice...” Daichi muttered. “God, I’m such an _idiot!_ ” 

“Text him, Cap! Show you’re sorry, that you wanna be friends again!” Tanaka offered, flashing a wide smile of support. “But, I think we should get your mind off things. Let’s get training!” 

Daichi nodded slightly, tugging his shirt over his head and beginning to get changed. But, the little thought was still eating at the back of his head. 

~

Suga panted heavily, fingers twisting in the sheets. He was in nothing but boxers, back slick with sweat, his bed stripped down to a mattress and covered in heat-specialised towels. 

No matter what, he knew that he would never get used to this. It was _excruciating_. 

Suga breathed heavily. In through his nose, out through his mouth, repeat. He wanted to sit there, to do nothing, to not give into a stupid instinct or hormone or whatever and quench the burning fire in his gut. He wanted to be in control, not his omega.

His goddamn omega. The stupid little voice that supplied thoughts he shouldn’t think, supplied unneeded commentary in the form of thoughts when it was completely unnecessary. Suga whined, leaning forward to rest in his stomach, jumping when he felt the friction against his hypersensitive chest. 

His mind was screaming at him, begging him for some kind of stimulation. Absolutely _anything_. But, he refused to give it. He wasn’t sure why. He wanted to see how long he could last, how long he could stay sane. 

Suga felt his patience waver.

He cried. He broke.


	3. Love bite

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god I’m so fucking sorry

Suga woke up on the third day of his heat feeling groggy, one of his two cats — a cheeky Russian blue named Diaz — snuggled up next to him. His dog, a huge German shepherd named Mochachinno — who they just called Mocha — was sitting at the foot of his bed with her ears perked forward. Her tail wagged when she saw Suga was awake, moving up to him and nuzzling under his hand for attention with a high whine. Suga smiled softly, rubbing his hand through the dog's golden brown fur, scratching behind her ears. 

  A knock on the door made Suga's head perk up. “Come in,” he called, voice hoarse. His mother walked in meekly, smiling softly towards him. She was a beta, a single mother. She had the same silver hair as Suga did, and always talked about how Suga was the splitting image of his father. It made her sad, thinking about what once was, wishing she could have all the moments she was denied because her husband had passed. 

“I’m going to work, okay?” she said quietly. “If you need me, don’t hesitate to ring me. Urii may come in at some point, I fed him already. Make sure to feed Diaz and Mocha, though. Do you want me to pick up anything for you on the way home?” 

Suga paused for a moment, pulling the sheets up over his head. “Scent patches,” he said, his voice muffled. He loved the mint-scented ones. He wasn’t sure why. 

“I’ll be sure too,” she chuckled, moving to close the door behind her. And once again, the house was empty. Suga sighed, pressing his face into the pillow and feeling a dent in the bed as Mocha jumped up onto it.

Suga managed to fall back asleep, waking up again two hours later to a heavy knock on the front door. He groaned, the sound phasing into some sort of animalistic growl. He dragged himself to his feet, bringing a light blanket with him as he walked. The man looked like some sort of child pretending to be a ghost. 

Suga yawned, placing a hand on the handle of the front door, expecting it to be the postman. He was not expecting, however, to see the exact person who was standing there. 

It was Daichi, his bag slung over his shoulder and sporting a half-smile. His eyes were wide and hopeful, the same they always were, and he was about to say something. Suga panicked.

Suga _slammed the door in his face._

He started breathing heavily and backed up, tripping over the blanket draped over him and falling back. _What was Daichi doing here?_ Suga’s exhausting efforts to avoid him had proven futile. Daichi, of course, had come to Suga himself. That was just the way he was.

“Suga.” Daichi’s voice was muffled from behind the door, but it was soft and comforting. He didn’t want to scare the omega. “Suga, I understand you’re annoyed at me. You have every single right to be. But I’m not leaving until I, at the very least, apologise. Please. Open the door.” 

There was a pause. 

“ _Please._ ” 

The last ‘Please’ was quieter, barely spoken. Suga was surprised he could hear the word — that was barely above a whisper — through the hard-wood door. He came to the realisation that Daichi very well could have been crying, which scared him a little. Why would Daichi, who was stable and confident and inspiring, be _crying?_

_Was it because of him?_

Suga gulped harshly, slowly rising to his feet. He went to reach for the handle, hand hovering over it, before opening it just an inch or two. 

It was silent, and Suga believed for a second that Daichi had left. He leaned over, eyes analysing the ground to see a pair of red running shoes. He let his eyes drag up, seeing grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt clinging to relaxed yet dense muscle. He stopped at Daichi’s neck. 

Suga’s breath caught in his throat. Two purple marks decorated Daichi’s neck. One was right below his ear, the other colouring the collarbone, half covered by the neck of his t-shirt. 

Suga didn’t look up any further. Mostly because he was unable; his heat-induced state meant that, even out of an episode, he couldn’t look at alphas that weren’t his. But, a tiny part of him didn’t want to look at Daichi _anyway_. Not when he knew exactly how he got those hickies, exactly who he got them from. 

“Suga, I’m really, _really_ sorry.”

Suga kept his eyes glued to Daichi’s Adam’s apple. It looked like there were nips on it too. He mused silently, straightening his back and opening the door a bit more so he could stand in the doorframe. 

“I’ve been acting stupidly. I never should have forced you to... go fucking _submit_ , of all things, on the day you presented, too.” Daichi’s speech began to speed up as he rambled. “I’m such a dumbass. I see that now. Just, please come back to practice. You can hate me. I’d understand that, really. But you promised not to quit volleyball. You said the only reason you’d even consider it would be if the first and second years told you to. Don’t let me be a reason you let go of it.”

Suga paused, staring directly at the black and blue bruise, half-hiding behind Daichi’s shirt. 

“Have you gotten a new girlfriend?” Suga whispered, looking at his feet. His voice cracked in the middle of the sentence, his throat constricted so much he felt like he could cry. 

Daichi took half a step back, raising his eyebrows, until he began blushing. “Kind... Kind of. But that’s not what I’m here about, Suga-”

“Is it Yui?” 

Daichi’s words caught in his throat, gulping down his pride. “...Yes. It is. It’s not important. We haven’t labelled it as anything yet. I don’t think we should be talking about this.” 

“I’ll come back to practice once I’m done my heat. Which, by the way, I’m still having. It’s not entirely safe for you to be here,” Suga said in a monotone voice. He took once last glance at the bite below his ear and felt his throat contract and his eyes sting. He held the handle of the door, beginning to back out of the frame. “You didn’t make me submit. I’m not that easy. Have fun at practice, make sure Tsukishima actually helps to clean up this time.” 

“Suga, wait!” Daichi pressed a hand against the door, words almost desperate. “Are you okay? You’ve gotten... _depressed_ lately, I’m really worried about you... you even _look_ skinnier...” 

Suga smiled idly to himself, eyes tired as he began to turn around. “Maybe it’s because I’m an omega now. I am still getting the hang of this, after all-”

“ _Why won’t you look at me?”_ Daichi interrupted him,words demanding an answer. Not demanding from an alpha, but demanding from a _person_. 

Suga paused, back facing Daichi. He bit down on his bottom lip. “...Have fun at practice, Captain.” 

“Suga, no-!” Daichi tried to protest before the door was closed on him. Suga pressed his back up against the door, hearing Daichi’s heavy sigh and then him jogging down the stairs soon after. It was silent.

Suga felt a tear roll down his cheek, letting out a small, choked sob. His emotions came at him like an avalanche as he slid down the door until he was on the floor, curled up and trembling with devastation. Mocha came bounding towards him when she heard his cries, acting as a tether to reality as she nuzzled up to him. Suga simply his his head amongst the layers of her fur, letting his tears get swallowed by her coat. 

He didn’t understand why he was so upset. He could easily find another alpha; he knew that from the amount that had approached him in the short time since he had presented. 

_But for some reason, Suga wanted the only person he absolutely couldn’t have._

~

_”SUGA!_ ” came Hinata’s excited yell, as the little ball of energy bounded towards him like puppy. Noya came sprinting after him, Tackling Suga in a hug and almost making him fall over. The three omegas hugged each other tightly, Suga laughing airily. They were the only ones in the club room, Suga having texted them to come a little earlier that morning so they could talk. 

“You’re back!!!” Noya yelled, breaking out of the hug and grabbing Suga’s bag from him to put it on his shelf. The club room was cleaner than usual, almost as if they were preparing for his arrival. “How are you feeling? They fucking suck, don’t they?” 

“God, tell me about it, I don’t think I’ll ever be able to get used to them,” Suga beamed, happy to speak to some other omegas. “I-I was so emotional and needy, and I didn’t realise how much of a saviour scent-pads were!” 

“I _still_ can’t get used to mine!” Hinata chimed in, grinning widely. “I’ve only ever had an alpha to help me once, and that was last month. Really makes all the difference!” 

“ _Shouyou_!” Noya yelled, shocked by this sudden development. “You never told us! Who the hell-?” 

“ _Shhhh!_ We’re here to talk about Suga’s first real heat, not mine!” Hinata scolded, sticking out his tongue. Suga imagined it was Kageyama. God, if the alpha were here, he would be burning up with embarrassment. “Anyway, did anything crazy happen? End up passing out in public or anything?” 

“What, as if it didn’t literally happen in training camp?” Suga joked, making the two others laugh. “Nah, spent the whole thing at home. Well...” Suga’s voice suddenly cracked a little as he averted his gaze, then looked back at the two in front of him. They were attentive and interested, and if they were dogs their ears would be perked. “Daichi did stop by. To apologise.” 

The two boys settled quietly, Noya’s expression contorting sourly. “Cap has a new girlfriend. I thought that maybe... you two were a thing. And I got kind of annoyed at him. While you were gone.” 

Suga paused, taken aback. “You _what_?” 

Hinata sat down, crossing his legs, the two others following suit. “Noya-san was only trying to defend you. I’m pretty sure his exact words were _‘You’re fucking around with some random bitch while Suga is going through hell at home’_ and _‘You can’t even look out for your real omega’_.” 

“Yeah, I got it completely wrong. Asahi explained afterwards,” Noya said guiltily, eyebrows furrowed. “I’m really sorry, Suga. I apologised to Daichi ad he’s not mad. I just thought you should know.” 

Suga let out a breath. “I’m just glad Daichi isn’t mad. Who knows how that could’ve gone down,” he shook his head. “Thank you for defending me. Also, that random bitch is Yui Michimiya. She’s one of my friends. She’s actually really nice.” 

“Not as good as you, though,” Hinata pouted. Suga chuckled, turning towards Noya.

“Seriously, Noya. You’ve got balls to stand up to Daichi like that. I can’t even look him in the eye now. Omega perks, right?” 

The two boys paused, glancing at each other. “Suga-san, that’s not an omega thing?” Hinata said, uncertainty dominant in his tone. 

Noya nodded quickly. “Yeah, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I can hold eye contact with Asahi all the time. And the other alphas. Hell, me and Tanaka have staring contests sometimes.” 

Suga cocked his head to the side a little, shoulders tense. “Then... why can’t I look Daichi in the eye? I can’t even look at him in the face sometimes... It’s only Daichi, though. I have no problem talking to the other alphas, or to Asahi or Kageyama or Tanaka. Is it because I presented so late, and I was near him?” 

“Suga, you’re smarter than we are,” Noya deadpanned. “You’re talking to two people who failed most of their Summer tests.” 

“Not on this, I’m not! You guys are _way_ more accustomed to this... this _omega_ stuff,” Suga explained. “I haven’t got a clue about this stuff.” 

Hinata placed a hand on his chin to start thinking intently. He hummed lowly, Noya staring at him with assurance and pride. Hinata jelled a ginger up. “Well, when Kageyama gets annoyed I can’t look at him. I always find that I start looking at my feet. But that’s only because my omega side makes me feel guilty because my- _an_ alpha is angry at me. An, not mine, sorry...” 

Suga and Noya laughed softly, sharing glances. “That’s a good point, but I don’t know what I feel guilty about... it could be that he had to carry me to the infirmary when I presented?” 

“That could be it. Did you scent him by accident? I saw him carrying you into the infirmary and, by the way you were lying, it could have easily happened...” Noya suggested. “If you scented him enough and now that he’s off with Michimiya-san, your omega could feel unworthy or something.” 

Suga’s eyes widened. Hinata let out a ‘ _bwaaahh_ ’ noise, astonished. “Woah, Noya-san! So smart!” 

“Yeah, Noya, I think your onto something. I do remember smelling Daichi’s scent really strongly before I blacked out. He made it really soothing and stuff,” Suga pointed out. “Asahi even mentioned to me that he was _crooning_ to me when he saw me at first, and that my scent was crazily strong to him.” 

“He _crooned_ at you? That’s so... _private_...” Hinata said quietly, as if afraid to voice his opinion. 

“Yeah, theres no way that Daichi would have done that to you unless you’re mates,” Noya shook his head. “I’m real surprised at that, actually. That’s fucking weird.” 

“It’s weird, yeah, considering he’s dating Yui now. He wouldn’t do something like that on a whim if he had feelings for someone else, would he?” Suga asked. “I mean, if he did, then that would be like if he found one of you guys and then stated crooning. And we can all agree that would be weird.” 

“You should ask him. He’s been really worried about you, you know,” Noya sighed. “The same with Asahi. They’ve both been completely off, and considering how close prelims are, you could do a lot to settle them. We need our captain, our vice and our ace back, Suga!” 

Suga grinned at Noya’s heartfelt words. “I’ll talk to the both of them today. I promise you, Noya. Oh, and Hinata?” 

Hinata hummed in acknowledgment, rising to his feet with a huge smile. 

“Tell Kageyama to talk to me today at lunch, okay?” 

~

Kageyama turned the corner to see Suga leaning against the door of the Second Gym. His silver hair blocked his eyes as he fumbled with his hands. 

“Suga-senpai, you wanted to talk to me?” Kageyama called out, making Suga’s head perk up. He smiled widely, walking up to Kageyama and staring him directly in the eye. 

“Kageyama, I need you to do me a very big favour.”


	4. Loose ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Breakthrough.

"Let's do some three on three," Kageyama burst out as they were doing their stretches, Daichi's head peeking up from where he and Asahi were. Asahi was attempting to stretch his arms and touch his toes, but the huge man was failing miserably. 

Daichi raised an eyebrow. "We said we'd do some blocking practice to help Noya with block-follow today, Kageyama-?" 

"Please!" Kageyama cut across the captain, lips contorted slightly. He was half-frowning in fear of rejection. Yet, he held direct eye contact, to show he wouldn't back down easy. Daichi sighed, laughing. 

"Alright, have it your way. Let's make some teams-"

"I'll make the teams, Daichi," Suga interrupted again, leaning his elbows on a volleyball in front of him, back arched. "I'll take Noya and Tanaka. You take Asahi and Narita... Then Hinata, Kageyama and Ennoshita, and then... so... Kinoshita, Yamaguchi and Tsukishima. There." 

Daichi threw a baffled look Suga's way, as Suga simply turned on his heel and approached Noya. Tanaka was holding in laughter, considering the captain got completely shown up. Kageyama took a glance towards Suga, sharing a look with him. Suga nodded slightly, a smirk painting his lips. 

"First match, my team versus Daichi's!" Suga grinned widely, taking off his jacket. As his team lined up on the court. Tanaka cracks his knuckles, smiling sadistically as Noya snickered.

"Fine, you take first serve," Daichi muttered, smile painting his face yet words slightly bitter. He walked to the back row, standing in a receiving position; crouched down, hands out, eyes focused and legs steady to the ground. 

Suga stood at the back line on their side. He could feel navy eyes trained on him, watching his muscles tense.

_Jump and fire with all your might._

"Nice serve, Suga-san!" Came Kageyama's call from the sidelines. Suga glanced towards him, eyebrows furrowed. He felt calm, focused, as he slammed the ball hard against the ground in preparation. 

Without realising, he had thrown the ball. It cut the air like paper, thrown with precision, to the perfect height, one that Suga could reach if he pushed himself just out of his comfort zone. Suga's eyes widened, as he felt himself run and lift his legs, propelling himself off the ground and inhaling all the air he could into his lungs. 

_Jump to the highest point you can and swing your arm back, and once you see the ball at eye level—_

Suga hit it with all of his strength. 

_—slam it to the ground and unearth the other side of the court._

Suga puffed out his cheeks as he hit it, stumbling forward when he landed. The ball crashed to the ground with a deafening _bang_ , rendering the other team immobile. Daichi stared at Suga with wide eyes, frozen in the receiving position. Suga smirked, pupils tiny among pools of hazel, staring at where the ball landed in disbelief. 

" _Did he...?_ " came Hinata's quiet whisper amongst the silence of the court.

"He damn well did," Kageyama stated proudly, arms crossed. 

" _SUGAAAAA!!!_ " yelled the majority of the team in unison, except Tsukishima and an astonished Daichi. The captain stood up straight, laughing airily at Noya and Tanaka rushing Suga, the group shouting and screaming in disbelief and impressed chatter. 

Suga locked eyes with Daichi, smirking. 

_I'm not weak._

Kageyama smiled widely at Suga, a proud glint in his eye. 

_Thank you for helping me show him that._

~

The three on three matches ended with Suga's team and Kageyama's tram in the final, with Ennoshita coordinating some insane attacks with the freak duo and letting his team prevail. Suga could rest assured he'd be an incredible captain.

When the last point — sudden dump from Kageyama — was scored, Suga found himself leaning forward, hands on his knees, panting heavily. Hinata's incessant calls of _'one more'_ rang in his ears, and his eyes were screwed shut.

"C'mon, Suga," he heard, looking up to see Daichi with a small smile on his face. "Drink up." 

Suga took the bottle from Daichi's hand, staying on the court with the captain as everyone else began to clean up. He shook his head like a dog, feeling the sweat matte his hair to his forehead. Daichi laughed lightly, seeing Suga smile along with him for the first time in weeks. 

Something sparked in his chest, but he ignored it. 

"What's with that new jump serve? You're nearly as deadly as Kageyama," he joked, taking back the water bottle and taking a quick swing himself. 

"Kageyama taught it to me. Wanted to branch out a little. Omegas are... generally underestimated on the court, I suppose," Suga shrugged, eyes trained to Daichi's mouth as he spoke. He was getting there. He could probably look him in the eye soon, perhaps. 

"Do you want to walk home with me today?" Daichi offered, as the two began to walk towards the door. Asahi was being mercilessly teased by Noya, Tanaka laughing along and beginning to join in, while Hinata fanboyed over Kageyama ' _teaching his senpai something instead of the other way around!_ '. 

Suga turned back towards Daichi, smiling brightly and scratching behind his ear. "Can we get some meat buns on the way back?" 

Daichi smirked. 

"Sure. My treat."

~

“We should just get really fucking drunk tonight.” 

Suga’s head whipped towards Asahi, gasping in disbelief from what came out of the weak-willed ace’s mouth. “ _Azumane-san!_ Are you suggesting _underage_ alcohol abuse?!” Suga exclaimed in a high-pitched voice. Daichi laughed loudly from his right, eyes closing as his chest lifted. 

“Hey! It’s a Friday, I’m allowed to suggest this!” Asahi smiled. “Besides, Suga is eighteen now. He could easily get us a shoulder of vodka or something.” 

“Jesus, Asahi, didn’t realise you were a spirit man,” Daichi smirked.

“Or an alcohol man at all,” Suga chimed in teasingly, Asahi frowning from the teasing. Suga sighed, staring at the clouded sky and tipping his head back. “God knows I could use getting really drunk anyway. I’ve been abandoned by Lady Luck lately.” 

The two alphas were silent, unable to relate with the unbearable weight of what had been poured on Suga recently, simply looking up with him at the stars. There was very little to be seen behind the overcast, clouds acting as puffy pillows carrying the town to sleep.

“Not tonight, though. We have practice tomorrow morning,” Suga smiled, shrugging his shoulders and then reaching in his bag to grab out another meat bun. 

“Oh, that reminds me,” Daichi said, turning towards the other two. “I can’t make practice tomorrow.” Suga and Asahi raised their eyebrows in confusion, signalling him to continue. “I’m... taking the train to Sendai with Yui for the day. It’s our one month.” 

“...Oh,” was all Suga said as he turned away, instantly regretting it once it came out of his mouth. Asahi looked ahead, an unreadable expression on his face. “Have fun.” 

“Th-thanks...?” Daichi said carefully, confused by the quiet reaction. 

The rest of the walk home was spent in silence. 

~

_“So Suga-kun has finally presented? How’s it feel to join us in the fuckable club?”_ Yaku’s static voice through the loudspeaker on Suga’s phone. They had gotten close since their practice match at Nekoma, but they hadn’t gotten a chance to speak in a while. Yaku was also an omega, and utterly despised his dynamic. His fiery attitude suited an alpha or, at the very least, a beta.

“Oh shut it, you ass,” Suga laughed, teeth clenched around a pencil in his mouth. “It’s _incredible_ , I feel only pampered on the daily,” he then growled sarcastically, taking the pencil out of his mouth to continue doing his homework as he spoke to Yaku.

“ _Isn’t it just? And now you can get harassed on the daily by the alphas on your school, which is just the cherry on top,”_ he growled out. “ _How was your first heat, by the way? The first one is normally one of the worst._ ” 

“Oh my god, Mori, I don’t know how you guys have done it for the past year or two. How the fuck am I meant to go through that _every month_?!” Suga exclaimed, making hand gestures as if he wasn’t aware that Yaku couldn’t see them. “I feel so _needy_ , and my body gets all sticky and shit, and it’s just fucking _disgusting_. I tried my best to resist the stupid waves but I just _can’t_! And I keep thinking about... about other alphas, and it makes it so much worse.” 

Suga made extra care not to say Daichi at the end, as Yaku knew he was going out with Yui. Kuroo had told him, of course — the alpha was practically Tokyo’s resident gossip girl — and had even acted jealous, as if he literally wasn’t dating Kenma. 

“ _I getcha, I getcha. Well, I keep thinking about that dumbass Lev whenever I get into my heats, drives me crazy_ ,” Yaku growled, phone picking up small, whispered insults afterwards. Suga laughed airily. “ _I don’t even like the guy, my body is just like;_ nearby alpha! Alert! Alert!”

Suga giggled lightly. “Hey, it could be worse. You could be imagining Yamamoto,” he joked, and Yaku made audible gagging sounds from the other end. 

“ _That guy has been even_ more _of a dumbass lately! You know he not only locked himself in a bathroom stall and ended up missing two periods of math and a social studies class, he also took a running starfish jump at the lockers for a funny video and ended up breaking his nose and getting suspended for a day,_ ” Yaku complained. Suga burst out laughing, imagining Yamamoto with a bloody nose and a guilty face in the principal’s office just because he tried to recreate a vine. 

“ _Wow_ , I’ve never heard of someone that is so like Tanaka and Nishinoya in my life,” he snorted. “Like, the other day I walked in on Tanaka attempting to throw Noya as high as he could so Noya could grab a ball that had gotten stuck on one of the lights. As you may think, it didn’t work.” 

Yaku’s laughter chimed from the other end of the phone call. “ _Oh wow, they’re really smart... but, in all seriousness, Koushi... I’m really sorry I haven’t been there lately. It’s probably been hard for you, with presenting and everything-”_

“Mori, Mori!” Suga interrupted, heart clenching. “You are perfectly fine. There’s no way you would’ve known. I’ll be sure you’ll be the first person I go to if something crazy like this happens again, yeah?”

Yaku paused for a moment. “... _Yeah, Koushi. And I’ll do the same, promise_ ,” he said happily. “ _We’re meeting up next week, whether you like it or not. I’ve gotta head off now, see ya.”_

“See ya, Mori.” 

_Beep._

~

Suga whistled softly, locking the door to his apartment behind him carefully and slinging his backpack over his shoulder. Dawn was only just breaking, the sky dark purple with the moon still glowing. He zipped up his clup hoodie and jogged down cheap tile stairs, buzzing the bottom door with his key and letting himself out of the building.

“Suga.” 

Suga’s head whipped around, eyes pulled wide when he saw Daichi standing outside by the door. His face was serious, but Suga couldn’t tell his mood. He could only tell by looking in his eyes, which he couldn’t bring himself to do just yet. But, Daichi’s scent had an underlying smell of something sour, but Suga couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. 

“Daichi?” He asked, eyes darting around to see if he could spot anyone else. “Why up so early? I thought you weren’t coming to practice today.” 

“I wanted to talk to you. I knew this would be the best place,” he smiled softly, almost sadly. Suga gulped harshly, fear igniting like a flame in his lungs, drowning his throat and choking him.

“Suga... are you _afraid_ of me?” 

Suga took an unconscious step back when Daichi took one forward. He had no intention to, it was just a instinctual reaction that he took as a reflex. When Daichi held out a hand, moving to reach towards him, Suga felt his muscles tense up, almost flinching away from the contact.

“I knew it,” Daichi muttered in disbelief, voice devastated. “You _are_ afraid of me.” 

“Daichi, no, listen-!” Suga whispered frantically, Daichi’s eyes pulled wide as he walked back, staring at the ground. “I’m not... I’m not afraid...” he muttered thoughtlessly, losing the track of his sentence as he felt tears begin to fill his eyes. 

“No, Suga, it’s fine,” Daichi said, voice monotone. “It’s fine. I understand. I fucked up.” 

“Daichi, _stop_ -”

“I’m a horrible person. I’m never gonna be a good alpha.” 

“Daichi!” 

“I’ll never find a... never find a _kind omega_ -”

“ _DAICHI! SHUT UP!_ ” Suga screamed, without a care for the many sleeping around him. “You’re a fucking amazing person! You controlled yourself when I was in heat beside you, after just presenting! You have a gorgeous girlfriend who loves you to pieces! You’re an incredibly captain and have unwavering respect from your Kouhai and teachers! _I_ am not _scared_ of you, Daichi!” 

Suga grabbed Daichi’s wrist, holding the flesh in an iron grip and staring directly into Daichi’s eyes. They were as grounding and big and dark as ever; Suga’s only tether in a world of loose strings. 

“ _I will never, ever be scared of you._ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The response to this stoy has been overwhelming. It makes me feel incredibly overjoyed to see so many people leaving comments and kudos, and it truly does keep me going. This story is really dear to my heart as I struggle with chronic social anxiety and am unable to make eye contact with people, so I tried to write what I have struggled with through the characters. It makes me so emotional to see how well this story has done in the short time it has been released, and I just want you all to know I appreciate everything that you guys do.


	5. Distraction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The light begins to appear through the trees.

_"I will never, ever be scared of you."_

Daichi's breath caught in his throat, his lips pulled tight together, fist clenched. Suga had an iron grip on his wrist, determination and stubbornness being channeled through force and grip, his nails piercing Daichi's skin and turning it white. Suga's eyes were wide, yet his brows were low and creased, with his jaw strung tight and clenched. 

"Suga... _Suga_!" Daichi laughed breathlessly, smile spreading on his face, cheeks red and full. He threw himself on Suga, wrapping his arms around his neck tightly, as if Suga would float away if he let go. " _You looked!_ You _looked_ at me!" 

Suga paused for a moment, expression of determination turning into one of surprise, only seeing what was behind Daichi and being engulfed in his alpha smell from being so close to his neck. His omega was purring, not used to the touch of an alpha like this. 

"I... I _did_ ," he whispered in disbelief, wrapping his arms around Daichi's back and laughing. "Oh god, Daichi. It's been hell. I've felt so... so _weak_ , and... and now I-I can look at you properly! And I know it's not a big deal b-but it is for me... you know!" 

Daichi pulled back from the hug, cheeks blushing as he laughed deeply, the sonorous sound echoing through the silent street. He kept his hands on Suga's shoulders, keeping the omega at arms length. Suga's cheeks were shaded crimson, his pupils dilated so that the hazel ringlets could be barely seen, eyes shiny with what was likely to be tears soon enough. His eyes were slightly squinted, his chin tucked under the high neck of his volleyball hoodie. 

"I know it's a big deal! I... I get that!" Daichi stuttered out, smiling proudly. But, that smile began to fade as he pulled back his arms, his expression becoming stark and serious. "You've gone through a lot in the last couple months... and I feel really, _really_ bad. I'm meant to be your best friend, and you haven't been able to rely on me. And then I thought you were scared of me after what happened-"

"You're really never going to forgive yourself for that, are you Daichi?" Suga interrupted, cocking his head to the side as he adjusted his bag on his shoulder. "You know, you did that because you cared about me. I was in a bad place and you didn't know. No one did, not even me. You couldn't have known you were making me submit, especially when I'm not normally a... _compliant_ person."

Daichi smiled, approaching Suga, who turned around so they were standing shoulder to shoulder. They looked down the road, at the sky awash with stars and purples and the beginnings of blues and oranges. 

"I'm glad, Suga," he mumbled, looking over and locking eyes with his setter. "But, I have noticed you haven't been happy. Or at least, as happy as you once were." 

Suga sniffed, rubbing his eyes quickly so Daichi wouldn't see the remnants of tears in his eyes. 

"I'm okay, Daichi. Really," he laughed wetly.

"I'm happier right now than I've been in a while, actually." 

~

"Oh, Suga!" Asahi waved at the setter walking alone towards the gym. He was standing alongside Takeda, holding a clipboard. "Good morning." 

"Morning," Suga smiled back, jumping inside the silent gym and dropping his bag. No one had arrived yet except for Asahi, Takeda and, by the looks of the dark trainers sitting next to a black kit bag, Kageyama. He turned towards Asahi, who had his head cocked sideways, nostrils flaring. 

"S-Suga?" Asahi muttered when Takeda walked off to start setting up. Suga approached Asahi hesitantly, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He hummed for the ace to continue, unsure if he really wanted to hear considering Asahi's awkward stance. "Why do you... smell like... Daichi...?" 

Suga paused, eyebrows raising suddenly. "Huh?" He said quietly, before suddenly shoving his wrists up to his nose and being hit with wet earth and spearmint. The smell left him dizzy, hitting him like a punch to the face. Jesus, he didn't just smell of Daichi, he _reeked_. "Oh _fuck_!" 

"Yeah, shit, you need to shower. But, it's _really_ strong, I don't think a shower is gonna get rid of that," Asahi said, scratching the back of his neck and glancing around as Suga rustled through his bag for his deodorant. 

" _Asahi!_ I can't be walking around smelling like Daichi, everyone knows he's with Yui!" Suga fretted, pressing his finger down on his deodorant and spraying himself. "We just hugged! _HUGGED_!" 

"Didn't work, can still smell it," Asahi deadpanned. 

" _That's because you have the sense of smell of a bloodhound!_ " Suga exclaimed, hands flying all over the place to drive the point home. Asahi laughed, shrugging and nodding in defeat. "Now what? The minute Tanaka walks through that door he's never going to let me hear the end of this, and never mind when _Kageyama_ makes his way back here-"

"What?" Came Kageyama's innocent tone from the doorway, water bottle in hand. His eyes were wide yet as empty as his head, completely clueless. He turned his head towards a frozen Suga, his nostrils flaring. "Suga, why do you smell like Daichi-san?" 

"Oh Jesus Christ-"

"He knocked into Daichi on the way to school is all, not a big deal!" Asahi explained calmly, pushing Suga behind him. "Hey, Kageyama, lets start setting up the net. Suga has to talk over some things with Takeda-sensei." 

The naïve setter blinked twice, then nodded, throwing a curt wave Suga's way before jogging to catch up with Asahi. Suga sighed out, thanking whatever god blessed him with such a gentle giant as a friend. 

"Oi, Suga! Did you get scented by the cap?!" Nishinoya shouted from the doorway, making Suga's shoulders hunch and a groan erupt from his throat. 

It was going to be a long day. 

~

_You need to get over him. Scenting didn't do you any good._

Nishinoya's advice rang in his head, bouncing like a volleyball around his brain. That why he had put on his best-quality scent-enhanced, made to make him smell almost intoxicating. It's why he had washed and blow dried his hair, why he had put a really nice sweater on. 

  It's also why he was sitting in the booth of a bar hoping an alpha would strike up the courage to talk to him. 

  And, it didn't take long. 

  "Hey there, is this seat free?" A man with two drinks in his hand smiled down at him. An alpha, early twenties by the looks of it. His smile was sort of crooked and he looked to be half-Japanese and probably half-European. His hair was shaved at the sides and dark brown, his eyes a similar chocolate colour.

  _Just like Daichi's._

  Suga blinked, waving the thought away and nodded, letting the man sit down across from him. He placed a beer in front of Suga, moving to take off the black windbreaker jacket he had come with. 

  "So, whats your name, stranger?" 

  "Sugawara Koushi. Just call me Suga," the silver-haired boy said, smiling softly before he took a gulp of the beer. "And you?" 

  "Ryuuji Osamu. Call me Ryuu if you'd prefer?" 

  Suga chuckled, "I'd rather not. A guy on my volleyball team's name is Ryuu, and that might make this a bit... _awkward_." 

  Suga scratches the back of his neck, shoulders tense as he examined the alpha's muscular figure. His chest heaved a bit when he laughed, the sound deep. "Volleyball, Huh? College team?" 

  "Eh.. n-no, actually. I'm in third year of high school." 

"Oh, tough break. I'm in my third year of college now, actually."

  "Oh? What do you study?" 

"I'm a law major. You might see me owning my own huge firm one day, who knows!"

  "Thats so cool! I've been looking towards going to do sports science in Tokyo, but I'm not sure if I'll get-"

  "Suga?" 

  Suga's head darted to his right, pupils shrinking immediately to mere pinheads. His body went tense, shoulders rigid as his mouth hung open slightly. Of all people, Daichi stood there, eye's darting back and forth between Osamu and Suga. He was almost glaring at the alpha, who stared directly back at him, unwavering. He had Yui in his right arm, who smiled softly and gave a short, kind wave to Suga. 

  "D-Daichi, why are you here?" Suga asked quickly, words tumbling out of his mouth. 

  "I could ask you the same thing?" Daichi retorted, words almost a growl. Suga was silent, looking away from Daichi. His jaw was strung tight, eyebrows forming a crease and eyes dark. 

  "I... I-"

  "Hey, Suga, do you want to get out of here?" 

  Osamu's voice cut the tension, placing his hand on Suga's elbow and locking eyes with him. The omega frowned, nodding and avoiding Daichi's lingering gaze. 

  Once the two were gone, Yui glared at her boyfriend. "That was completely uncalled for, and you know it." 

  Daichi sighed. "I'm afraid he's gonna start sleeping around and he'll do something he regrets." 

  Yui frowned. "Sugawara-Kim isn't like that. I know he isn't." 

  ~

  Suga was thrown up against the front door college dorm, panting heavily with one land in Osamu's hair and the other scrambling for purchase on the alpha's back. Osamu bit and sucked on Suga's neck, making him whine as he shoved his legs apart with a knee, grinding it into his growing member. Suga gasped at the contact, relishing in the rough manhandling. 

  "Fuck, I'm going to _ruin_ you," He growled into the omega's ear, lifting him to let Suga wrap his legs around him. He carried him to the bedroom, pinning him to the sheets of the double bed and taking off his own shirt. Suga tore off his own sweater, quickly rejoining his lips with the alpha. His scent was intoxicating, like smoke off a campfire and somehow _burning_. 

  He just wanted his mind to be distracted. Wanted to focus on the way he was already naked, the alpha grinding his clothed member against him to make him feel how impressive he was. Wanted to distract himself from what happened at the bar, how downright _jealous_ Daichi looked. 

  Suga moaned loudly when he felt himself getting jerked teasingly. 

  _He had no right to be jealous._

  He screamed in pleasure when he felt two slick fingers enter him right off the bat, sound muffled by Osamu stealing his lips. He grinned down on the alpha's fingers until he added a third one, the stretch more painful this time. Yet, Osamu distracted him with attention to his aching cock. 

  _He has no right to tell me what to do._

  Before he knew it, he was on all fours, presenting his ass for the alpha. He felt his chest hit the mattress, tears welling in his eyes as he swivelled his hips in desperation. Osamu caught Suga's sensitive nipples in hand and played with them as he breached his entrance, snapping his hips forward and to the base. Suga was drooling, drunk on his high and more than likely physically _drunk_ also. He rocked his hips with the alpha's brutal pace, taking him from the tip to the hilt with every thrust.

  _It's not Daichi, though, is it?_

  Suga ignored the thought, letting his high pitched moans continue to roll off his tongue to signal at the alpha to continue. He could feel his high coming, with his nipples being twisted and flicked and a cock filling him up constantly. Before he knew it, he had spilled over the bed sheets and the alpha's knot had expanded, making him shriek. 

  The two collapsed onto the sheets, laughing at the quick end to their meeting, the alpha spooning Suga from behind and waiting for his knot to deflate. And that was that.  
   
  _God, Koushi._

_Your first time shouldn't have been this easy._

  ~

  Monday morning was a lot more awkward than it should have been on the walk to school. Daichi waited for Suga at the end of the building, saying nothing more than good morning before they began to walk together. That was, until they reached about five minutes away from the school building. 

The roads were abandoned, as no one normally came in this early. The volleyball club got every minute of practice in that they could, though. Daichi looked over at Suga, opening his mouth to day something.

“I-”

“It was a hookup,” Suga cut across him before he could lecture him. “It was a hookup, Daichi. I’m never going to see him again. I did it to get his scent on me, I did it to relieve the stress. I did it because I’m an omega and I have needs that you _should_ understand.” 

_I did it to get over you._

Daichi was silent, completely put on the spot. “I... I was going to say I’m _sorry_. For putting you in that place at the bar,” he stated, shoulders tense. “I don’t know, I just got...”

“Annoyed? Jealous?” Suga stopped in his tracked, Daichi turning to face him. “Because, Daichi, I don’t remember ever saying that you had a _right_ to feel those things!” 

“Who says I don’t? Am I not allowed to care about you, Suga?!” Daichi shot back, raising his voice. Suga snarled loudly and viciously in return, eyes scrunching closed.

“Ever since I’ve presented you’ve been nothing but aggressive! I’m sick of the way you’re acting, like you have a say in the choice _I_ make! I’m an omega, Daichi, but you’re not my alpha! If you want to be my alpha, then do something about it, but if you don’t want to, then don’t play fucking _house_ with Yui, because she has true feelings for you and do you fucking know what? You don’t _deserve_ her, Daichi!” 

Suga was crying now. Sobbing, to be more accurate. All his emotions were tumbling out, like a broken tap, with nothing to stop it. 

“Yui is a fucking _amazing_ girl, and you’re just playing with her. Because I saw the way you looked at that alpha in the bar, I saw how goddamn _jealous_ you got. And the fact that you scented me without me knowing, and that when I presented you started fucking _crooning_ at me, or the fact that you _insisted_ on being the one to take care of me while I presented, and don’t even _think_ that Takeda didn’t tell me. You’ve got a long fucking way to go if you think you can judge me for hooking up with a college guy, got it?” 

Suga turned on his heel, stare drenched in venom as he looked back at Daichi. The alpha’s lips were strung tight, cheeks red and eyes glistening with tears. 

“Suga, _please_ , where are you-?” 

“I’m going home,” he spat, voice viciously poisonous. “Have fun with your trophy wife, _alpha_.”


	6. Name

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think I may have an inability to write long chapters at the moment. Sorry For the wait.

Suga could remember the splitting pain in his chest as he walked home, each step laboured, each breath ragged. His brain was screaming at him, his omega shrieking, disgusted at Suga's actions towards Daichi. Towards an _alpha_.

"This is normal," he whispered to himself, feeling his chest heave and slowly becoming aware of his distress-laden scent. "You talked back to an alpha. This is _normal_." 

  "Suga-san?" 

  The setter's head whipped around, sighing when he saw Hinata standing there, leaning on his bike. His eyes were wide with concern, acting fast and leaving his bike to help Suga stand properly. He looked as if his legs were about to give in, and he was shaking like a leaf in a storm. "What _happened_ to you? We're you attacked?" 

  "N-no," Suga shook his head. He stood straight, trying to ignore his weak limbs and the feeling of his chest splitting. His throat contracted as he gulped, wanting to cry just a little. "I had a fight with Daichi. Well, it was quite one sided." 

Hinata frowned, taking Suga's bag from him. The taller tried to resist, but the little middle blocker was determined, slinging his own over his back and Suga's over his shoulder.

“If you don’t wanna talk about it, you don’t gotta, but if you do I’d be happy to hear,” Hinata smiles widely, that smile that was always encouraging and comforting. “But, at least let me get you back to your place.” 

“You’ll be late for practice, though...?”

“No, Suga-san!” He stuck his nose in the air with a proud smirk on his face. “I must insist!”

Suga found himself laughing softly. 

“Thank you, Hinata.”

~

Two days later, Monday morning. It was cloudy, the air somehow stiff. Yet, the day was set out to be a good one, Suga simply had a feeling. Something about the swift breeze and the dark horizon had Suga quickening his steps towards the school. 

No morning practice on Mondays; an extra hour in bed. He really lived for the extra time curled up in his cotton-scented covers. So Suga smiled, looking upon the other students making their way to school. 

Daichi and Asahi were walking together a little bit ahead. Asahi hasn’t noticed Suga, but Daichi has. He caught Daichi’s eyes once as he looked back, quickly breaking the eye contact and turning his head. 

They would apologise to each other soon. 

“Suga-san!” He heard the yell from behind him, turning around to see Nishinoya sprinting to catch up to him. He skidded in front, grinning up at the setter. “Wanna walk together? I wanna get eyes on Asahi.” 

Suga chuckled, “Eyes in Asahi, huh? What, need someone to spend your next heat with?” 

“Damn right I do,” Nishinoya stated in reply, cunning smirk dragging his mouth. Noya sniffed the air suddenly, turning towards Suga with a raised brow. “Who’s _that_?” 

Suga paused, confused, before realising. “Oh, _that_ ,” he laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck. “You remember when you told me to hook up with someone...?” 

Noya gasped before Suga could say anymore, jumping almost like Hinata with a look of utter shock painted on his face. “Koushi Sugawara, you absolute _dog_!”

Suga laughed, shrugging and shaking his head. “What can I say, I’m that irresistible apparently. Just sat at a bar booth and within a minute an alpha was with me.” 

“You can’t just leave the story at that!” Noya exclaimed. “You have to tell me everything! Spare no detail!” 

Suga burst out laughing at the determination etched into Noya’s features. “Well, if you insist! His name was Osamu, college guy, studied law, really nice scent and eyes and hair. Was built like Bokuto if I’m being honest...! And jesus, he knew how to fuck. We went back to his place and... well... you can probably guess...” 

“I have never been so goddamn proud of you in my life,” Noya stated, only making Suga laugh harder. “I truly have no words.” 

“God, Noya, way to pry!” Suga smirked. “Well, you asked, so I’m gonna too. How far have you gone with Asahi?” 

Noya laughed, shaking his head. “Asahi is too much of a baby to have sex with me. He’s afraid he’s gonna break me.” 

“God, he worries way too much,” Suga said. “You’re hardly going to break.” 

“I know right!” He complained. “It’s because when I actually saw his dick I wont lie I was a little bit scared, but for God’s sake the next time my heat is coming around I’m throwing my V-card away and I’m getting on that cock.” 

Suga laughed at Noya’s vulgar language. He spoke so calmly about it all, like it didn’t bother him a bit to talk about it. Suga would be lying if he said he wasn’t jealous.

Before the two knew it, they were at the school and making their separate routes. Suga decided to take the long way to homeroom, considering he was actually earlier than normal. Hinata’s cries of ‘ _One more!_ ’ rang in his ears, brining a soft smile on his face. He observed the busy hallways, the people rushing to homeroom, the few going to their lockers or to the vending machine, the dean fixing his hair while using the trophy cabinet as a mirror, the shouts and bellows of either Hinata, Tanaka or Noya from one of the rooms —he couldn’t tell which—, it was all considerably normal. 

Except for that.

Suga found himself upon an empty hallway, realising he had wandered into his own thought on his stroll and also wandered into the science hallway. It was eerily silent, the chatter of the other students faint. 

With a deafening clatter that brought a ringing to his ears, Suga was shoved into a Free lab with one huge push. He heard the door click as he was knocked on his side, yelling out partially from pain and partially from shock. All he could smell was something disgusting, like sweat but more potent, filling his head and rendering him dizzy. 

He felt his body react to what was obviously an alpha, but not in the way it normally would. His scent amplified his distress, backing up so quickly against a table he made a chair knock over and clatter to the ground. His eyes were wide, unable to make out the face of the figure in the dark room. 

He felt a rough hand suddenly grab his hair, bringing him a breath away from the alpha’s face. Terror pooled in hazel orbs as the alpha growled, using his other hand to begin to reach up Suga’s shirt, dragging his shirt from where it was neatly tucked into his trousers and touching cold fingers on pale skin. Suga’s spine twisted as he tried to get away, mumbling ‘please’s and ‘stop’s, but his cries fell on deaf ears.

“Can’t believe you were hiding what you really were this whole time, Su-ga-wa-ra-kou-shi~”

That voice. That vice that pronounced every syllable of his name separately, tainting his name with guilt and trauma, using his own moniker against him to scar and cut him deeply, to infect his title with plagues called memories. Memories that would crop up whenever he would hear his name again, should this continue. That voice that used words like slut and whore to tarnish reputations. That voice that was so deep and gruff and rough around the edges only belonged to one person; the captain of the basketball team. 

Suga couldn’t place a name, but he could place his face, and now that he had a skim idea of who this was he began to see the features in the darkness. The large nose, repeatedly broken, sharp jaw, wide neck, short hair, slightly longer on the top than the sides, he could see it all. 

“I fuckin’ knew you were a little omega this whole time,” he snarled, ripping Suga’s trousers down his legs, the belt catching and breaking painfully against Suga’s thighs. The omega cried out in horror, realising on both sides of his legs something from had caught and cut him. Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks, twisting and pushing and shouting for the alpha to get off.

But it wasn’t Suga that caused the alpha to get off. 

The door slammed open, making the alpha shoot his head up and growl through a chuckle. “You’re too late, Sawamura.” 

_Daichi_

“This is my catch. Go fuck your beta girlf-!” 

His sentence was never finished, as Daichi three such a fierce blow to his face it easily broke his two front teeth. The punch also struck his head into the ground, but Daichi wasn’t done. He grabbed the boy by the collar, dragging him up and slamming him against the wall. His scent was potent with rage, his eyes mere pupils and his teeth bared. He threw the alpha against the ground with all his strength, the recoil making his bounce off the ground due to how much weight was behind it. 

Daichi began to kick the alpha’s stomach in, the boy coughing and spluttering and whispering for him to stop. The alpha was unconscious now; the blow of the kicks were too fierce. Suga was in shock, frozen, but something clicked and made him scream. 

“ _DAICHI, **STOP!!**_ ” 

Daichi was mid kick when he stopped, staggering back and staring at Suga. Suga, who’s meagre form was still leaning against the lab table, in boxers soaked with blood, with belt and trousers broke, shirt ripped. Who’s hair was a mess from the iron grip that held it moments ago, who’s eyes were filled with tears, stains of the droplets still on his red cheeks. 

“Suga... please don’t panic... are you okay?” Daichi said as calmly as he could. The last thing he wanted to do was frighten the distressed omega. Suga shook his head slowly. Daichi exhaled, leaning down slightly as the other backed up a little, instincts in overdrive. “May I please come down and help you?” 

Silence.

“ _Please, Suga_.” 

Suga paused, before nodding slowly. Daichi made sure he was at a snail’s pace when he approached the omega, first touching him on the shoulder and rubbing circles into his shoulder blade. He was then on his knees beside him, and Suga burst out crying, tackling Daichi in a hug. 

Daichi flinched, caught off guard by the sudden reaction. Suga nuzzled his nose into Daichi’s scent gland, the smell keeping him awake and aware and letting him know this was real. Daichi patted the omegas hair with one hand, shushing him gently and rubbing soothing circles on his back. 

“I’m sorry, Suga. I’m so so sorry,” Daichi whispered, closing his eyes as Suga’s grip became looser. He began to drift down until his head rested in Daichi’s lap, sobbing endlessly. His whole body shook with his cries, eyes red and puffy with snot coming out of him mouth. Yet, he was still pretty. Perhaps not a pretty crier, but pretty all the same. Daichi played with his hair, rubbing his head as he cradled him in his lap. His eyes were soft and sympathetic, and he found himself crooning at the omega. It was purely instinct, nothing he could really help. But, he didn’t mind all that much. 

Suga didn’t either. Daichi was doing him worlds of help by simply being there. If he hadn’t been, Suga would have been used and left for humiliation when the next class came in, bleeding on the floor and tarnishing his reputation. After a bit, when Suga’s cried faded to sniffles and weak tears, he offered Daichi a watery smile. 

“I’m so sorry, Daichi,” he said. “I’m so _sorry_ -”

“For what?” He interrupted, appalled by even the _thought_ that Suga was blaming this on himself.

“For getting angry at you. I’m sorry. I’m... I’m...” Suga said, sneezing suddenly as he sat up. He rubbed his eyes, shaking his head. 

“No, Suga, please,” Daichi placed a hand on Suga’s shoulder. “Don’t say sorry again. I shouldn’t have gotten jealous.” 

Suga nodded, pausing as he looked at the passed out alpha. Daichi felt the need to fill the silence.

“Yui... and I. We broke up. Yesterday.” 

Suga turned towards Daichi, eyes wide. “ _What?_ ” he whispered, words laced with disbelief as he cocked his head ever so slightly. 

“Don’t worry. It was mutual. She felt I was... distracted. Throughout our time together,” Daichi looked away. “She wanted what was best for me, and we’re still friends.” 

“Who just so happened to have had sex,” Suga joked, laughing wetly. Daichi laughed softly too, looking down at Suga’s thighs. “What... what _happened?_ ”

“Shoved me in and locked the... locked the door,” Suga gulped, hissing when Daichi hovered his hand above the cut on his upper left thigh. “He tried to take off my trousers but... got impatient. Tried to rip them off and I think something on my belt may have caught.” 

“Jesus, we need to get the principal-”

“Daichi, no, please! I-I don’t want this becoming a big deal, you know they don’t let off omegas with this sort of stuff...” Suga pleaded, holding Daichi’s hand in place on his shoulder, staring at him in the eyes. Daichi frowned, looking at the cut on Suga’s cheek. He found himself in sort of a trance, raising his hand to the boy’s cheek and running his thumb over it with a sigh.

“Must have got it when... I fell...” Suga whispered, embarrassed, averting his eyes. “I... I’m gonna need some help to get up.”

“Of course,” Daichi whispered, recoiling his hand suddenly, realising how intimate that action was. “I’ll get you back home.”


	7. Beginnings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi’s apartment.

“Daichi?” 

Suga’s Call hit Daichi’s ears, the soft voice coming from the sitting room. The setter was hugging his knees on the couch, awaiting Daichi to come back with first aid. He was cold and sore, his legs bare bar his boxers. This wasn’t anything strange to either of them, though. Suga slept over often, and when he did he slept in underwear and a t-shirt. Besides, he couldn’t leave the cuts on his thighs unattended. 

“Coming!”

‘ _So why do I feel so flustered?_ ’ Daichi’s mind supplied, making him shake his head and grumble under his breath as he finally found the gauze dressings on the top shelf. He made a mental note to tell his mother to sort out the first aid cabinet. 

When he returned into the sitting room, Suga had his lips strung tight and the grip around his knees tighter. He looked up at Daichi and sniffed. The alpha gazed back down at his pitiful form, the wounds on his sides scabbing. A small worry of a possible concussion itched in the back of Daichi’s mind. 

Suga hesitantly placed his feet on the ground, staring at the ceiling and hissing loudly when Daichi ran a cotton bud drenched with antiseptic over the gash. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I know, I know...” Daichi places his free hand on Suga’s shoulder, wincing as he heard the setter’s laboured breathing and small whines. 

At one point, Daichi had to press down on the cut to ensure it was cleaned properly. Suga’s hand shot up to grab Daichi’s on his shoulder, fingernails piercing tanned skin as his hazel eyes scrunched up in pain. His bottom lip was pulled between his teeth, and Daichi found himself a little starstruck. 

“ _Daichi!_ ” Suga exclaimed, and the captain snapped out of it, realising he was putting way too much unnecessary pressure on the wound. He binned the used cotton, repeating the same thing for the other leg, before grabbing out a gauze. 

“I’m not bleeding out,” Suga deadpanned, glaring up at the Daichi with his usual cheek. 

“That also isn’t going to be healed with an every day plaster, so this is the only other thing we have,” Daichi said in reply, cutting off a large strip and wrapping it around Suga’s thigh. 

“I feel like I’m in a really bad episode of HouseMD,” Suga chuckled wetly, Daichi looking up and catching his eye as he worked to secure the gauze. 

“What, and I’m House?” Daichi smirked, a safety pin dangling out of his mouth. “I’m offended, deeply.”

“You should take it as a compliment. He _is_ the best doctor in that show, after all,” Suga grinned. “I wouldn’t be surprised if you broke out some long-ass medical phrase right now.” 

Daichi laughed. “What, like Kuroo?” He asked, standing up once both legs were secure. “Deoxyribonucleic acid!” 

“Not good enough! I want to hear Kuroo in your voice!” 

“ _Dacosahexaenoic acid!_ ” Diachi shouted in return, grin splitting his cheeks and making Suga clutch his stomach in fits of laughter.

“God, I’ve never seen you do a better impression of him!” Suga panted through loud cackles, both of them laughing happily. Silence settled over them after a few moments, until Daichi got up to get Suga a spare pair of tracksuit bottoms. He tossed him a grey pair, cuffed at the ankle, just like Suga liked to wear them. 

The two were sitting watching Movies in silence, curtains drawn and the room shrouded in darkness despite the midday sun lingering in the sky outside. It was the incessant sniffling from the other end of the couch that struck Daichi, and made him turn his head slowly from the tv. 

Suga has a blank expression. His eyes were puffy, high-necked sweater Daichi had also loaned him pulled up to his nose with the hood halfway up the back of his neck. His cheeks were red, under eyes dark. Drying tear stains decorated his cheeks. Daichi’s eyes widened, and as they did Suga noticed him staring and looked towards him. They stared at each other for a second. 

“...Do you want to talk about what... happened?” Daichi asked carefully, each word thought about and worded in the quietest way possible. Suga focused his eyes on the television. 

“If we do, you have to promise not to cry.” 

Daichi raised an eyebrow. “Why would I cry?” 

“Coz you’re a big fucking baby,” Suga laughed, words coming out wet as Daichi joined in with a small chuckle. “What’s that guy’s name? The one who you bet up.” 

Daichi sighed deeply, “Takashi Nakamura. He’s... not a nice guy. Always tries to size me up whenever he sees me just because he’s talller than me.” 

“A lot of people are taller than you, though,” Suga smiled, pulling the sweater farther up above his nose. 

“You’re going to smother yourself,” Daichi laughed. “Also, once again, I am deeply offended.” 

Suga giggled. “Well, it’s fine,” he inhaled deeply, the leftover scent on the jumper soothing and grounding. “I like it.” 

Daichi exhaled, not catching on right away. When he did, his eyes widened slightly, before turning his eyes quickly away. “O-oh.” 

“How did you know?” Suga asked, chewing on his thumbnail. He resembled a turtle half out of it’s shell.

Daichi paused, taking a moment of hesitation. “I... didn’t. Not until I turned the corner. In fact, Asahi was the one that pointed out that something smelled weird. He didn’t know it was you, so he didn’t check. I think it’s better off it stays that way, too.”

“If Asahi finds out it was me, I don’t think he’ll ever forgive himself,” Suga agreed softly.

“I was walking to Homeroom and when I saw you weren’t in the room or anywhere around I got confused, because I had seen you this morning. So, I turned back, and I passed the science corridor, and heard one of the doors slam. And so I turned the corner, and I smelled your scent... and... _god_ , I don’t think I can ever forget it...” Daichi sighed, pausing for a second to collect his thought. “It was your scent. I knew it was yours. I knew it the second it hit me. But, it was sour. It stung my nose like I got punched in the face. It was like someone poured acid into my nostrils and down my throat.” 

Suga was clenching the neck of the jumper he wore, fists balled tight as an output for his emotion. 

“But the scent was yours. There’s no way I could have mistaken it for anyone else.”

“What’s my scent like?” Suga asked. It was a break in the ice. That question was an intimate one, like asking someone how much they had done with another person. 

Daichi gulped, Adam’s apple bobbing. “It’s... fresh. Like lavender or rosemary. Like flowers, but I’m not sure what the name of the ones I’m looking for are. It’s really distinct, with a really strong scent and a really unique appearance. It’s not soft like roses, its sharp. It even smells sweet, sometimes. Like honey. The honey was a lot stronger when we were in... Tokyo. Though.” 

Daichi was blushing. But, not near as much as Suga was. The tips of the setter’s ears were aflame, and his face was hot to the touch. 

“Yours is... kinda like wet ground after rain. It’s fresh and distinct and weirdly grounding. Like, you smell it and you become more aware of what’s going on and it’s sort of... a snap back to reality,” Suga murmured, twiddling his fingers. He gulped. “I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble. Today. You could have been hurt.” 

“And _you_ could have been raped,” Daichi stated. Suga almost winced when he heard that word, not wanting to think about what could’ve been, if Daichi had not cared about their fight as much as he thought he did. If Daichi hadn’t cared at all. 

“I’m sor-”

“If I hear those words come out of your mouth again, Sugawara, I will have an actual heart attack,” Daichi sat up straight on the couch, turning towards his vice. Suga turned towards him also, smiling softly, eyes scrunched and puffy. “You’re being way too hard on yourself, you need to have a bit of cop.” 

“I will, I will! I promise I won’t be a... blithering idiot anymore. Swear,” Suga laughed, before silence settled between the both of them. “I should have asked this earlier, but, how is Yui... dealing with...?” 

“Oh,” Daichi said. “That. Yeah. That’s... um... a bit of a weird situation. She was surprisingly better dealing with it than I was, to be completely honest. She was the one who brought it up. She said she thought I was... distracted. Unfocused. On us. I can understand, completely, though. She was right; my mind was in another place throughout our relationship. Where my mind was, though, even I’m not sure about. She only needed a month to find out we wouldn’t work. And I understood, because we weren’t getting everything we needed from each other.” 

Suga was silent. He simply listened, letting Daichi speak. After all, he had no right to speak. He had no say in what went on between Yui and Daichi. He had no right to decide what happened between them, to interfere. 

As much as he secretly wanted to. 

“I’m really sorry, Daichi. If you think about it, though, now you can figure out what was... really on your mind,” Suga smiled, and then winded suddenly, clutching his abdomen. 

“Sore?” Daichi asked, eyes furrowed in concern. 

“I just... cramps. Pre-heat. I’m due in a few days, is all. Can I just have some water?” Suga said, words laboured and slow. He exhaled slowly, leaning back down on the couch and laying his legs across. Daichi leapt up, rushing into the kitchen for some adderall and a glass of water. He returned to Suga, handing him the two items and watching as he gulped down the painkiller. 

“God, this is a nightmare,” Suga growled, grabbing the blanket laid on the back of the couch to nuzzle his nose into it. His words came out muffled when he spoke, “No wonder that alpha went after me this morning if I reeked of pre-heat.” 

Daichi shuffles his feet on the floor awkwardly. “If you got scented by another alpha... like... they’d stay away, right?” 

Suga paused, turning his head upwards towards the alpha. “Well, yeah, but where am I going to find an alpha to scent me? And to scent me regularly at that, Ryuuji’s scent left the next morning.” 

Daichi pursed his lips, looking at the ground with his ears burning red. “I mean. I don’t mind. We can do it, as friends. I mean, Hinata and Kageyama do it all the time, don’t they?” 

Suga stares up at Daichi in a manner of confusion, unaware of the fact that the captain was so oblivious. “They’re a couple. They’ve been a couple for like, two months now.”

Daichi paused.

“They have?” 

Suga nodded. “Yeah, they’ve spent a heat together and everything... that’s besides the point...!” 

“So...?” 

Suga gulped audibly. “I... don’t mind. All that much. I don’t know if I’m comfortable with anything more than wrists, though. And Ive never... like... _officially_ been scented by someone before... and wouldn’t Yui be a little offended? To scent someone right after you break up-”

“Suga,” Daichi chuckled, moving to sit down next to the omega. “It’s fine. Trust me. Are you sure?” 

Suga stared at Daichi’s outstretched hand, unsure of whether to take it or to straight up reject him. He could. He entirely could, and Daichi probably wouldn’t be that offended. He was a relaxed guy who didn’t take things to heart, after all. Suga couldn’t rip his eyes from the tanned palm of his hand, the calloused pads calling him forward into a strong grip. 

“Suga?” 

“Y-yeah. Sorry. Yeah, I’ll do it, just.. take it slow. I don’t know how this will feel so close to my heat,” Suga muttered quickly, nodding as he spoke. He wasn’t looking at Daichi, simply watching as the alpha grabbed the back his hand in one hand, palm facing up, using his other hand he moved forward, hovering his wrist above Suga’s before pressing down lightly and rubbing it. 

The omega was taken aback by how... _good_ it felt. It sent him into a state of slight subspace, as he sighed, relaxing his shoulders. Daichi quickly moved onto his other wrist, and soon he was taking away his hands altogether. 

Suga was a little distraught. It had felt _really_ nice. Ryuuji didn’t even come _close_ to this, and this was a simple wrist scenting. 

“See? All done,” Daichi smiled, catching Suga’s eyes. “That wasn’t bad t all.” 

Suga nodded, grinning widely, pressing his wrist up to his nose. Daichi’s scent mixed with honeysuckle hit him, and he recoiled from the strength of it, exhaling quickly. Daichi laughed loudly, “That’s what you get for sticking your nose directly in it, huh?” 

Suga smiled, content. “Thanks for that, Daichi.” 

Daichi clapped Suga on the back, smirk wide and shining. “Anytime.”

**Author's Note:**

> check out my tumblr/instagram @/matchiimochii and maybe give me a follow ^^ feedback on my writing is always appreciated by the way!


End file.
